divide and screen

Are weekends getting shorter? I woke up this morning actually believing that it was Sunday and squirmed around happily thinking about what time i would choose to get out of bed ... then i realised.  The exact same feeling washed over me that i have when i think there's chocolate in the fridge only to find someone else has located it before me ... cheated.

Driving to work i considered how thankful i am to the moon that this year provides a long and hopefully glorious Easter/Anzac weekend. Then my attention swung back around to my 2 week long satisfaction at the purchase of the room divider.

I just really like anything that can divide a room - plants, half walls, screens, brick ... whatever. i don't enjoy really open plan unless you're a complete minimalist which i am not, i like something to add interest and intimacy to open spaces. A couple of example's of this 'dividery' is necessary for me to share and then the topic will be dropped for a little while...

The above divider reminds me the block screening used for exteriors. I just love it - always have and always will - must have a house with it. You'll remember it's featured in the post i did on 'Torbreck'.  So many people think i'm crazy but any home that has this stuff on it ... is sure to be a hit with me - looks fab in the pool area with a vine growing over it too.

I think it's had numerous names, breeze block, besser brick walls, brick perforated sceening walls and i'm sure many more. I imagine that Palm Springs and Miami are riddled with this stuff! I love the wooden detail on the one below.

Meanwhile, my makeover of the cane setting is coming along - i'm very much looking forward to getting it completed. White is so fresh and uplifting. The fabric for the chairs is going to finish it off perfectly i think.

summer breeze

The air has changed. I walked last night and noticed that summer is coming to a close, the Autumn feel is upon us. To celebrate a hot and always fabulous Queensland summer, i must share one of my all time favourite songs ever, that when i play it ,it makes me feel fine ... 

'Summer Breeze' by Seals and Crofts. Released 1972, for all you 70's babies out there. This one's for you. (Click on the pic)

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night.
A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.
See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

ticking it off the list

I would be a complete head case if i didn't have lists...

On friday night, instead of cracking a wine with the girls, i condensed these lists ready for a very productive weekend. I mentioned a few posts ago that i had re-found a stash of Chanel makeup that had been pushed to the back of the bunch and neglected?

Well, it was on my list to go through and see what i want and what my mother may use. Done and done. Massive tick. Majority has been unopened, but what i am wondering is what on earth possessed me to buy the paint set for lips, cheeks and eyes? of course they're still in the box!

I also dropped into a vintage fashion store called 'La Bella Donna' at Morningside.

Anna, the owner, has some beautiful pieces. She takes some things on consignment and other pieces she sources, like this dress - a 1950's velvet gown. The shade of green is breathtaking.$350 - absolute steal. I can't express it's stunningness in this photo.

There were other's Anna had sourced from the same owner in Toowoomba including a burgundy floor length gown with a jewelled thin belt and jewelling around the neckline. It came out blurry on my phone. You can kind of see it in this shot, rediculously beautiful, it'd be sacrilege to cut it off, but good lord it would look superb. The one at the front divine too.

I wonder who owned them and what life they led? A very glamorous one indeed. This gorgeous little number jumped in my bag before i could say no. I pictured it with the bow at the front (traditionally back to front) but looks great either way.

Someone must go and buy this hat too - don't let the freaky model turn you off.

Anna reminded me of the annual vintage fair that's held at the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds. It's coming up on the 26/27 March, i feel it's my duty to share - always a treasure trove.

So that was actuallly a tick as i went there to talk to her about some gowns i have she may like to sell ... and there was also a reward because, well just because.

Next stop was Woolloongabba antiques to look at fabric. This ended up being a huge X on the list front but a big tick on the rewards front. It's all about compromise.

I snagged this teak 1970's room divider.

 

It's not a great shot and it has feet so is completely freestanding.

My heart raced like i was climbing Everest when we saw eachother. I messaged a friend saying 'i need someone to tell me to buy this' and got back 'do it'. I did what i was told. I then immediately exited the building.

I have nowhere to put it and definitely do not need it like the fabric i was actually there to buy, but it is most certainly an instant fave and lifelong friend.

My next tick was commencing the makeover on this setting.

 

These are the chairs so far. Tricky work with all the curves. Going to be a long road. Half tick.

 

You're probably thinking i'm low on ticks for what i termed a productive weekend? I also, cleaned the s*** room. I'm afraid it's the only term, and everyone has one - ours is the office. A perpetual mess always bombarded with the rejects of anything and everything - a thorn in my side. Huge tick. Plus, washed, ironed and took out the bins. That's four more ticks which equals a total of 6 and a half. I earned that room divider - look how hard i work!

ebony and ivory ...

live together in perfect harmony ....

i don't know that it's possible to not love black and white, anytime, anywhere, anyplace

interiors (i'm head over heels for that basin)

photography

embellishments

fashion

art

and utterly adorable little characters like this.

Look at those darling faces, the cat seems a little concerned. 

cloudland ballroom

I was visiting with my Aunty last week, this being my mother’s sister. She’s 13 years older than my mum to the day. The three of us were chatting, and seeing that I love to hear about ‘the old’n days’, we started to talk about various stuff.

The first being how rubbish used to be collected. I know, unlikely topic over a cup of tea and cake. My Aunty talked about how fit the rubbish collectors always were as they jumped over fences into each yard and ran the bins out to the trucks. I remember it too. My mother said that every Christmas they would leave a few tallies (big bottles of beer) for each garbage  man by the front door as a gift ... good ole beer.

The next topic was Cloudland. Well, you should have heard the girls … like two little birds in a nest.  Both of their faces lit up. Mum chirped on about who and how many gents used to ask her to dance and my Aunty tweeted about the atmosphere and how completely and utterly fabulous it was. This is it pictured below. Loving the palms lining the columns. If only I could find some colour shots.

It had chandeliers, hard timber floors, elegant curtains, domed skylights (as you can see above) and decorative columns. The Upper level had seating so you could watch down over the dance floor, this being another draw card for its popularity to hold concerts  … and a  handy viewing deck to spot potential beau's

What an enormous room 

I wish I could dance like that, how romantic, elegant and thrilling to be in the centre of that ballroom twirling around. Let me just daydream a sec ... so if i could jump back in time and hit that floor in the 50's I'm fairly certain that i would choose to look like this 

Wearing something along the lines of this

this

or this ... i'll have the car too

And dancing with a man that looked liked this

Who would then take me away to Paris so I could wear this

just had to work that last pick in ... love capes, and could Jon Hamm be any better looking? I don’t think so. Spunk Rat 220%!

Built in 1939-40, this magnificent piece of Brisbane history was originally named ‘Luna Park’ with the original intention of building a fun park to the side of it.  Built high on the hill at Bowen Hills, an ‘alpine railway’ was part of the design which would run up the hill from Breakfast Creek Road and would deposit passengers to the rear of the ballroom. With WWII breaking out, the premise was used as an American Military base and re-opened in 1947 as ‘Cloudland Ballroom’ and that is how it stayed until 1982.  I read that in 1948 Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh visited.

The Ballroom could be seen from various suburbs across Brisbane with the arch being illuminated at night. It was 18m tall. The ballroom was the host to thousands of dances and arguably the best ballroom and concert venue in the country. Buddy Holly being one of the main acts to grace it’s stage amongst many others.

It was also used for students to sit their Uni Exams for many years.

Although there were protests and strenuous calls for its preservation, Cloudland Ballroom was demolished by the notorious Deen Brothers in November 1982. The demolition took place despite there being no permit. It happened in the still of the night with not a word of warning.  By sunrise all that was left of this incredibly significent building was rubble.

The street’s were conjested and lined with destraught people who could not fathom that an icon could so quickly disappear.  

As people reminisce, they talk about a time when the street’s were safe to walk home. Women were wooed and courted, couples danced together, close, in unison with the music of the big band. If there’s one thing my Mother says as does my Aunty, it’s that those were the good years. The 50’s/60’s/70’s, were, simply put - the best. I wonder if people will feel that way about the 90's and 2000's? What's our icon?

pictur-esk

Last weekend, actually the one before last, we went for a sunday cruise and ended up entering a town with a sign that said 'pictur-esk'. I've been out there so many times and never noticed the little cute sign. How adorable the people in Esk are, and i totally agree with them - it is very pretty out there even though water has left a path of destruction.


Seeing it was Sunday i bought some stuff... starting with this bottle.

 Oooooh how i love that shade of green. She's fitting in well in the kitchen with this curvaceous bunch below.

And these are some shots of the interior of the store. This place is about to burst it has so much stuff - it's located in an old pub

 I purchased these saturday just gone and they still look gorgeous after all of this heat, the flower lady told me to put them in ice cold water and change it every few days

 and these too - no idea what either of them are called

'A' bought me a puzzle to do

 and himself a painting which is really growing on me

Wowsers. It's 10:30pm. Last February Friday of 2011 tomorrow. Where does the time go?